Having Faith
by Bitcheesquared
Summary: Post 3.22 Elena becomes a Vampire and Damon lives up to his deal. But months later and miles from Mystic falls he meets a girl that is destined to change his life,and ultimately lead him back to the town and the girl he can't forget. How will Elena the vampire react to having a slayer come to town? And how will she feel when she suspects that Damon has moved on.
1. Chapter 1

Eight Months after leaving the town of Mystic Fall's, and his brothers girl behind him. Damon's kicking back in a Cleveland dance club; of all places, when his life takes an unexpected turn.

He's having a few drinks; while shopping for a potential meal, when he first notices her. She struts past him, all hair and attitude. Hips swaying, in a way that has most of the surrounding male eyes (and more than a few of the women's) following her appreciatively, she gestures for the bartenders attention, orders, then turns to study the crowded dance floor .

Interest aroused, Damon straightens. Abandoning his slouched position against the wall, he casually makes his way across the room.

Sidling up to the bar; both to get a refill of his bourbon and a closer look, he studies her surreptitiously from beneath lowered lashes.

He shivers, an inner chill sweeping through him; he watches as she leans against the bar, a symphony of seduction and fearlessness. The strange dichotomy he senses within her sparking his interest. On many levels.

He finds himself unsettled by his reaction; there is something different about her, it makes his skin tingle and his fangs ache, the rush of desire he feels, is intense, immediate and surprisingly (for him)shocking.

Instinctively, he knows that what he's feeling, is far more than the usual mix of attraction and hunger. Those two expectations (all that he allows himself these days) have become the summation of his existence, since Elena finished what Katherine started. The door to his heart is sealed; his memories of both women have become the nails that ensure it will stay that way.

But still, there's something about this girl. And it's lighting him up in a way he can't remember feeling for an eternity.

Watching her flirt with the bar tender, her eyes simultaneously sweeping the room with a feigned casualness that only sharpens his interest, he knows and excepts without question, that this girl is dangerous, a predator, different somehow, but kin to what he sees in his mirror every day.

There is something of Katherine in her knowing smile, her tilted head, and casual hair toss. But, there is also just enough of Elena, in guarded eyes that scream vulnerability, to make him think that even being in the same room as this girl, is far from his most stellar move.

And when she turns, her eyes doing a slow and careful inventory of every part of him, he knows he's right.

He also knows that this is the most he's felt, since a certain goodbye from a girl he's never going to have, and this alone, is enough to make him ask her name.

Her voice is husky, with a faint tinge of Boston still curling at the edges, her eyes like dark chocolate, with a mouth that he knows will taste like desire and whiskey. She tells him, her name is Faith.

The first time he touches her, electricity seems to spark beneath his hand. It takes all of his formidable experience of women, and his very long life, not to show it with an involuntary flinch, or the gasp that wants to leave his lips.

She's beautiful this woman, but Damon has known many beautiful women in the one hundred and forty five years, that he'd waited for Katherine.

When they take to the dance floor together, there is something of the vampire in the way she moves, and for a moment, he wonders if that's what he's been sensing.

Clouds of dark hair drift across her shoulders as she sways to the music's slow and seductive beat. Each movement she makes, an unspoken promise of pleasure. As her body brushes against him, he's more than aware that this woman has lessons to teach a man, ones that could just cost him his soul. Every motion of her body is an invitation, and Damon has seldom seen a woman, human or vampire, that moves quite the way that this one does.

With her back pressed against his chest; close enough to make him ache, his hands mould themselves to her curves. Running them down the length of her lithe torso, he seeks that familiar pulse of life. Relief and satisfaction settle within him as her heart beat throbs beneath his palms, strong and slightly fast, it confirms that this girl is very much alive.

And then her arm is twisting up to loop around his neck ,pulling him impossibly closer, and with it Damon forgets all the reasons it should matter. As her other hand runs down the length of his thigh, he loses himself in her scent. The thrum of her pulse, so dangerously close to his mouth; unfurling his hunger and his need to take what she's offering.

He decides then that for this one night, he's going to be reckless, reckless in a way he hasn't been since leaving Mystic Falls. Tonight, he wants to finally get lost in something other than memory and regret.

Still. Later when she suggests they go somewhere quieter, he knows he should say no, that it's likely that this won't end well. But he's so sick of running from life and from himself, that he decides he wants to see how it's going to end. And her eyes are so full of promise as she reaches for his hand, that he finds himself full of anticipation, despite his doubts.

It's a mutual decision to take it back to the motel that he's been holed up in for the last three weeks, and as they walk through the dark, speaking far less that he'd expected, he studies her openly this time.

He watches the way she moves, how she seems to somehow melt into the darkness between each street light, her grace an unconscious by product of the predatory danger, that seems to float around her like a perfume.

Oh yes, this girl is so much more than what you see on the surface, and he knows; with his own inherent predatory skill, that the fact that he can sense this, means that she most likely recognizes the same in him. He also understands; with a sudden feeling of freedom, that he doesn't care.

When they enter his room he plays the gentleman and asks her if she'd like a drink. For a moment, he thinks he sees her eyes narrow in something vaguely resembling suspicion, but before he can be sure, it's washed away by the slow smile that graces her lips.

As she moves into his arms, leaning forward and stretching up to take his mouth, there is a sudden rushing thrumming sound in his head, and as her teeth nip at his bottom lip, this time he finds himself helpless to stop his gasp from escaping,.

Again, there is a sense of electricity between them, her heart rate spikes and he knows she feels it too. As his hands slide over the smooth perfection of her leather encased ass, he finds himself needing and hungry in a way he hasn't been since another motel, with another dark haired girl, not quite a year ago.

She seems just as hungry as he is, her mouth greedy, and her hands impatient to get to the skin beneath his clothes.

He senses she is used to being in charge, so for the moment he defers to her needs.

When she has his shirt off; and she's down to her black lace bra, he drops to his knees reaching for the waistband of her leather pants.

Looking up, he's consciously aware of the affect his eyes have on a women, especially from this angle. He's not conceited in any way, but he's comfortable in the fact that he can get nearly any woman he wants, without the need for compulsion. Damon, is used to being wanted, and with more than a century and a half to practice his skills, he knows all the things to do that make a woman want, what he has to offer.

So, meeting her dark gaze he's understandably startled, when he glimpses something unexpected. Along with the expected lust, he recognises another emotion, one that has no business appearing now, not at this stage of their encounter. It's looks very like regret, and it's in that moment that he understands. It hits him with sudden certainty that there is much more going on behind those eyes, than what's shown on her face.

Up until this point, his only plans for the night had been to fuck her until she couldn't walk, then use his compulsion to feed. He had decided he liked her enough not to kill her, and that he would go so far to leave her with pleasant memories of their night together. But now, his self preservation instinct screams at him to 'get the fuck out'. Looking into her eyes it becomes apparent, even to someone as sure of his charms as he is, that there is more going on in her mind, than the possible repercussions, of a one night stand with a hot guy

Disconcerted by the sudden sense of danger now radiating off of her, he propels himself backwards. He streaks across the room, in a flash of the vampire speed that his kind are so good at. And it's just as well, because the stake is already descending before he moves; and where the fucking hell she'd been hiding that, was just one of the things that he'd like to know.

His fangs descend, and he can feel the veins beneath his eyes pulse as she lunges after him. And Jesus fucking Christ, she's fast; not vamp fast, but still too damn quick for a human.

It's almost comical when a moment later, the words that burst from both their mouths, are practically identical.

"What the fucking hell are you?"

"What the Fuck! What are you, you freak?"

They both freeze. And Damon, startled into sudden amusement finds his fangs melting away, his face returning to normal as he lets out a snort of irreverent laughter.

He tells her to watch who she's calling a freak, because he's got a pretty good idea that she's not exactly all normal herself.

She rolls her eyes, informs him she's a slayer, then asks him, 'what's his excuse?'

Damon makes it pretty clear he's doesn't have a clue what she's blathering about, and then asks for clarification.

So she gives him some spiel, about being a Slayer; emphasis on the capital S and that she apparently hunts vampires, and wait for it, demons?

When he only shrugs, returning her gaze with a look still devoid of recognition, the hand holding her stake drops to her side and her sensual kiss swollen mouth, tightens in patent disbelief.

He finds her "Dude where have you been. You new or something?" vaguely insulting, but he decides to let it go, because he really wants to know just what he's stumbled into.

She tells him that there used to be only one Slayer, until a big spell a few years back, and that now apparently there is; to quote a friend of hers, a shit load more of us. Her voice is all snark and continuing disbelief, as she asks him if what she's just told him is ringing any bells?

He has to admit that no it doesn't, and then, as her full explanation catches up to him, he asks her what she means by demons, and then tells her he doesn't believe there is any such thing, in very nearly the same breath.

He guesses she might have taken exception to his tone, or it could be him implying that she's a liar, because she informs him she doesn't really care either way, that she only wants to know what he is, so she can tell someone she calls her watcher, and that if he cooperates she will kill him quickly. She also mentions something about jonesing for Taco's, and the fact that his continued existence is getting in the way of her eating them.

Damon just raises one eyebrow and snorts again. He informs her, quite glibly, that it isn't going to happen.

He then goes on to say, that even though she is a slayer, whatever the hell that might or might not be, he'd faced down much scarier than her, in the form of original vampires, witches, werewolves and hybrids. All, on one occasion, at the same time, so he doesn't see one cocky little brunette killing him any time soon."

Then, to prove how little of a threat he finds her, he lounges nonchalantly against the wall, and does the eye thing that used to drive a certain other girl so crazy.

And doesn't it piss him off, that even miles and months away that his every thought and reaction, still finds a reference that leads back to her. Including his current situation.

With that acknowledgement, he's jolted back to his present situation, and the annoyed expression on Faith's face. Then, just to show there's no hard feelings, and because she's hot when she scowls, he offers to tell her what she wants to know. So he tells her he's a vampire and that he's been around for over a century and a half.

That's where the night gets, if possible, even more interesting and surreal.

She snorts before informing him snidely, that there is no fucking way he's a vampire, because she kills vampires, and she's never seen anything that looks remotely like him.

As annoyed as he is by her tone and her air of lecturing condensation, he can't help thinking that she looks gorgeous standing there arguing with him. Especially, since she has neglected to put a shirt back on, which only emphasises her breasts even more as she crosses her arms and gives him a stubborn look. He also can't help thinking there must be something encoded in his DNA, that causes him to become enamoured of bossy brunets that have more courage than brains, and a definite tendency to be bitchy when things don't go their way.

They argue for a good twenty minutes more, and he's starting to get a little irritated that his night is turning out so disappointingly when it had been so full of promise. But before he can work up a really good reason to either snap her neck, or possibly just leave, they are interrupted by the trilling of what can only be her phone.

The distinctive melody of It's Raining Men, pretty much guarantees it's not his.

She looks sheepish, and then sort of embarrassed, and mutters something about killing B, which Damon finds both confusing and more than a little amusing, as she fumbles to answer it.

Her sharply snapped, What? does not bode well for the callers intentions and Damon finds his interest peak, as he hears the voice on the other end of the phone snark back with equal annoyance. Moments later it peaks again, as he hears her tell the caller 'that she doesn't give a flying fuck what Spike thinks coz it's supposed to be her night off' and besides which, she's in the middle of something.

He concentrates a little harder at that, and he can make out the tones of a woman's voice, demanding that Faith get her ass back to HQ, because someone called Robin is drunk, and that it's not hers and Spike's responsibility to clean up Faith's shit.

Damon sees her flush with what could be anger, but he is guessing from her expression it's probably a whole combination of different emotions, anger not the least of them.

She mutters something, about how he should have thought about that before he stuck it to Carrie then, but after a furtive glance at Damon she cut's off whatever else she might have been going to say, in favour of a heavy sigh.

The woman then sais something again about Spike, and an anniversary, and for some reason that seems to set Faith off all over again. She makes a cutting remark about telling William the bloody, he can just go fuck himself, and that's when Damon decides that the night is officially beyond bizarre.

There's more, but Damon tunes out, preferring to get himself a drink and think over what he's just overheard.

When she gets off the phone moments later, he's stretched out on the bed drink in hand. As she turns to face him, he's not sure if he should feel insulted that she doesn't seem perturbed by his casual disregard of her presence.

He decides to let it go when her attention focuses back on him and she asks him where they were before they were so rudely interrupted.

Of course, he gets a good deal of satisfaction as he tells her that he'd much rather talk about why a bunch of Slayers are hanging around with one fourth of the scourge of Europe, than go over the yes I am, no you're not dance that they had been on earlier. And then he informs her, that if they aren't going to fuck then she might as well take him to Spike and have him clear the whole vampire thing up.

Pissed off and surprise are both things that look good on her, and for a minute he finds himself actually hoping by some miracle that she'll choose to call his bluff and finish what they started earlier. (The fucking not the fighting.) But no, once she gets over the whole shock of him actually claiming to know Spike, she decides that she's going to give him the benefit of the doubt and take him back to what she terms slayer central.

Damon pouts and tells her she doesn't know what she's missing, before tossing her shirt to her, while he slides into his own.

Five minutes later, they are walking out the door and she's full of questions about how he knows Spike, but before he can even give her the sanitized version of Spike's and his past she's interrupting herself to explain, with what Damon is now pretty sure is embarrassment, that when they get back he probably shouldn't mention them hooking up earlier, because it seems the Robin that was mentioned on the phone is her ex, and apparently he's not taking the breakup real well.

She goes on to inform him, that the other reason she doesn't want anyone knowing what they'd been up to, is that B ( apparently a person) is a bit of a (in Faith's words) vampire groupie and Faith doesn't want to lose her upper hand by letting B (apparently, short for Buffy, Poor Girl) know that she'd been willing to board that train, even if it was a bait and stake thing.

He raises an eyebrow at that and amazingly enough she flushes and looks away.

Then she starts babbling something about his soul and whether he actually has one and just generally working herself up into a state, where he's pretty sure said state, has a river called denial running through it.

He nods agreeably, after all, he's planning on getting in to her pant's sometime in the near future, so he's decided the better part of valour and all that Yada yada yada. Besides, she's smoking hot when she gets all worked up.

So, on they go down the dark and dirty streets of Cleveland, with her doing her best not to look at him and Damon doing his best not to just grab her and kiss her, if only to remind her why she smells of frustration and arousal.

After all He's got all the time in the world... and apparently all the Faith as well.


	2. Chapter 2

It's been a little over a month since Faith came into Damon's life, and he has to admit that whatever else you could say about the changes in said life, no way could it said to be boring.

Entering the slayer compound that first night, still gives him shivers when he thinks about it. He knows now, that that strange electric tingling he thought was part of his attraction to Faith, is actually some sort of freaky early warning system, that would allow a vampire (smarter) than him to run for the hills.

He'd practically had convulsions when he first entered the building, that housed the twenty or so slayers that were permanent residents of Cleveland. And it had taken him a good hour of being in the Slayers presence for him to feel even close to normal.

The interesting thing was that apparently Spike didn't get the same buzz, he said his was more like a gentle prickling behind his eyes when he first came in to contact with a slayer, but nothing as severe as what Daman had described.

Of course, that's when Damon had dropped his bombshell, that it was very likely because Spike was a different type of vampire than Damon.

The statement might have caused suspicion and unwanted tension, making things very uncomfortable for Damon, but strangely enough it was Buffy, Spike's girlfriend, that diffused the situation. Apparently, she'd always wondered why Dracula had been so different to other vamps and after meeting Damon, she'd finally got an answer.

Spike, then made some rather cutting comments about the poofter and his gypsy tricks, but allowed that yeah, old Drac had been a bit of an odd one, but since he'd only met Damon that once and that everyone had stuck to their human faces he really hadn't thought about it until Dracula had turned up in Sunnydale and tried to kidnap Buffy.

Damon was amused when he learned that Dracula still owed Spike the eleven pounds, but decided not to make a case out of the fact that Spike still owed Damon fifteen pounds, He figured Spike's good will was worth the money, especially if he wanted to see a certain slayer again.

So Damon filled them all in on his type of vampire and tried to ignore the disgruntled expression on Spike's face, when he let slip that Damon's kind, as far as he knew, had souls and no problem with religious paraphernalia of any type. He figured he'd talk to Spike privately about the whole daylight ring thing, it was the least he could do, considering the other vampire was willing to vouch for him.

After that, the night had gone fairly well and far better than he would have expected, right up until Faith's ex crashed their little party.

Once upon a time Damon had been a gentleman and even as a remorseless killer, he had still had a gentlemanly flair. He might rip your throat out, but he would never be unnecessarily rude to a woman.

So when the well muscled drunk; who Damon rightly assumed to be Faiths ex, stumbled into the sitting room where they were having their little show and tell, Damon was not surprised to find himself bristling on the behalf of both, Faith and Buffy.

Robyn Wood, was a total dick. Within moments of entering the room, he made it very clear that he hated Spike intensely and thought Buffy was a traitor to her line. Then if that wasn't enough, he went on to call Faith a cold hearted bitch, that had driven him in to another woman's arms with her inability to commit with anything other than what was between her legs.

Damon found himself having a whole new level of respect for both of the slayers, as neither of them rose to his bait at Robyn's obvious goading

Spike of course was not so restrained, but before he could leap forward and do something, that would most likely not go down well in a building full of slayers, Faith stepped in.

She tried to reason with him and when that didn't work she told him to go sleep it off and they could talk in the morning. Robyn apparently had other ideas and that's when Damon decided he'd had enough.

Robyn Wood, found himself suspended a good foot off the ground, subsequently meeting the blood filled eyes of a very annoyed Damon Salvatore.

Damon then; very calmly, informed the other occupants of the room, that he would be quite happy to demonstrate any other of his kinds vampire skills and their differences , they only had to say the word.

The word vampire, seemed to piss Mr Wood off even more, because he started saying some very unpleasant things about Faith always wanting to take Spike out for a test drive, and how it looked like Buffy could relax, because she'd found one of her own.

At that comment, Damon let his face melt back into its normal striking beauty and asked rather snarkily, if Robyn thought that he needed to pull the vampire card to get a woman, didn't Mr Wood think he was pretty enough . He even managed a convincing pout, as he hefted Wood a couple of inches higher.

He wasn't sure who was more surprised, Wood or himself, when Faith chipped in with her... Hell no, his being a vampire had sweet FA to do with her wanting to ride him at a gallop the moment they'd met. But now that she knew what he was, it was still five by five with her.

Spike's guffaw of laughter and Buffy's barely suppressed giggle, must have finally told Wood that he wasn't going to get the reaction he wanted, because he'd gathered what was left of his drunken sanity and asked sullenly, if not impolitely, to be put down.

Damon dropped him immediately and told him that all he had to do was ask, and Robyn Wood practically slunk from the room.

Damon considered, what he now thought of as his first date with Faith to have gone quite well, all things excepted. And over the next few weeks he'd been alternately bemused, bewildered and awed, as he learnt about the slayers world and all its attendant dangers.

The fact that Cleveland sat on something called a Hellmouth had been staggering enough, but the first time he'd seen a demon he had been very glad that Stefan wasn't around to see the look on his face; he would never have heard the end of it.

After that first night, he'd found every excuse and opportunity to meet up with Faith whenever possible and once he found out her usual patrolling route (thank you Buffy) he made sure to bump into her regularly, until eventually, she just excepted that he was going to be there waiting for her.

Faith, despite her comments to Robyn Wood on the night she and Damon had met, had to Damon's way of thinking suddenly decided to get cautious and back off from whatever it was the simmered between them. He wasn't sure if it actually was the whole vampire thing, or if it was just because she wasn't ready for anything more than a one night stand. He just knew that he wanted her and she was resisting him, and that meant that once again he was being rejected by a woman that he found himself wanting.

So Damon had decided, that he was going to either get her to admit her attraction and her reasons for avoiding going to bed with him, or he was just going to get a fucking clue and move on, and quit dating, liking, or possibly even talking to brunets, for at least the next century or so.

Twenty four hours later, Damon was a much happier and well laid vampire. It seems Faith had been holding back because she was just as insecure as Damon. For the first time in his life his looks had not been a plus. Faith, as Damon had guessed, was not into commitment, but she wasn't one to share either. She'd seen the way the other slayers had ogled Damon whenever he'd come to the compound and she was determined not to make the mistake's she'd made with Robyn Wood.

Luckily for Damon, he'd shown zero interest in any of the other slayers and it was that, more than all of the attention he paid Faith, that finally convinced her that denying them both was stupid.

So Damon Salvatore found himself in the unusual and largely unknown position (at least for him) of being happy for the first time in a very very long while.

Faith was as passionate and wild in bed as he could ask for, and more importantly, she was honest and open about what she wanted from him. Within a very short time Damon not only considered her to be his lover, but also his best friend, and by the time they'd been seeing each other for three months, even the pain of leaving Mystic Falls was starting to dim.

He still thought of Elena and knew that his love for her would not change, but he found himself beginning to accept what she had decided as being the only possible truth, at least for her. And for the first time since leaving that God cursed town, he had no desire to return. And it was all thanks to Faith and her passionate care.

That's why it was so damn unexpected and unfair, when just four months after he and Faith had first become lovers, she turned up out of the blue one night and informed him that she needed him to come on a little road trip with her. It seemed there was a prophesy about some two headed threat, that would bring about the end of all mankind if it wasn't stopped, and the place that it was going down was (of course) in the ultimate irony that was Damon's life, a little town called Mystic Falls.


	3. Chapter 3

It was just after five am on a Saturday morning, that found one tired vampire and an unusually stressed vampire slayer pulling up in front of the Salvatore boarding house.

They had been on the road for ten hours straight, stopping only for gas, food and the odd bathroom break, and that, combined with the numerous nights spent in crappy motel rooms just to get to Mystic Falls, had not left either of them in the best of moods.

The lack of information and the unknown quantity that was their potential foe, had dictated that the first order of business would be to send someone to Mystic Falls on a recognizance mission. And since Damon was familiar with the town and its inhabitants, it was decided by the Council that their best chance at finding out anything ,would of course be to send Faith and by dint of association with both, Damon.

Damon had learned that the council of watchers, or COW, as it was called by some of the less reverent slayers, was headed up mostly by the older slayers and a few of the Sunnydale survivors. Faith, as the second oldest slayer and the girlfriend of the only ex resident vampire of Mystic Falls, had of course been considered the only choice for this particular mission.

Faith herself was a council member and as reluctant as she was to make the trip, even she could see the logic of Damon and herself being the ones to go. Though she'd known full well, that Damon would balk at the idea of going back to the town he'd left behind a little over a year ago, she had in the end managed to persuade him, she just hoped they both didn't end up regretting it..

So here he was, back in the town that had been the site of his broken heart, not once, but twice. To the very house that held the bulk of his memories, most of which featured Elena.

As he got out of the car ,Faith came around the front of the Camaro and grabbed his hand. Pulling him against her body, she reached up and kissed him slowly and lingeringly, knowing instinctively that he needed the reassurance that her touch would bring. Damon kissed her back, with the passion tinged desperation borne of tiredness and trepidation, trying not to think about what lay ahead of him in the very near future.

He hadn't let anyone know he would be returning to town, so he wasn't expecting anyone to even be aware of his arrival until later in the day, and that is most likely why he missed the twitch of a curtain and the flash of pale skin, as an unexpected observer gasped and stepped away from the window.

He was, truthfully, far too caught up in their kiss to even bother looking towards the house, and by the time he did, the observer had fled to the safety of their room.

Pulling back from Faiths mouth, he cupped her face with his hands and searched her gaze. Stroking her cheeks with his thumbs, he smirked and asked her what that was for. When she just smiled and replied...because he was hot, and she felt like it, he couldn't help the laugh that escaped.

Pulling her close he steered them towards the house, at the same time whispering in her ear about what he was going to do to her once he got her alone in that huge bed he'd been telling her about. How he was going to make her scream so loud that her throat would be sore for days, and how that was okay with him, because he loved it when her voice got all husky from their play. And fuck he was tired, but not so tired, that he wasn't going to have her at least once before they crashed for the day.

Faith just laughed that low sexy laugh that was one of the things he loved about being with her, and whispered a few suggestions of her own even as Damon pushed the front door open.

He was grinning and pulling her in for another kiss, when his brothers voice interrupted .

His, Hello brother where the hell have you been, was not exactly what Damon expected, but that was Stefan for you, always full of questions and expectations, that he Damon, failed to live up to.

Looping his arm around Faiths waist, he turned to face his brother, smirk firmly in place.

"Well hello to you to little brother, so nice to know you've missed me", he drawled, as he guided Faith past him and towards the parlour.

"Stef , Faith, Faith this is Stefan, my baby bro." He leaned towards her, the back of his hand shielding his mouth from his brother and stage whispered.

"Shh, don't tell anyone, but he's a vampire too."

Stefan just rolled his eyes. "Nice to meet you Faith," he nodded to her, his expression polite, but grim.

"Damon, we need to talk. Now." he said, gesturing towards the study. "Faith If you'll excuse us," he added, his expression unchanged, as he studied the woman Damon had brought home with him. Turning back to face his brother, he dismissed the questions that her presence dictated, in favour of far more pressing matters.

"I won't keep him for long, we just need to catch up on some family business." he offered apologetically, without even looking her way again.

Faith glanced questioningly at Damon, his eyes meeting hers briefly, he nodded. His, tell you about it later, clear in his gaze even as he spoke.

"Hey Babe, why don't you relax and fix yourself something to drink, have a look round, this shouldn't take too long and then we can get back to more important matters" he offered, with a brow quirk and a deliberate leer. Leaning in and kissing her just below her ear, he whispered, low enough so Stefan wouldn't hear "Stay alert" then let her go with more reluctance than he liked to admit.

The moment Damon entered the study behind his brother, he knew something serious was up.

Stefan immediately went over to the small sound system that Damon had installed, the last time he'd come back. Turning it on, he adjusted the volume just enough, Damon noted, to mask their conversation from vampire hearing.

His eyebrows rose at that, but by the time Stefan had turned back to face him, he'd carefully schooled his featured to blankness.

"So what's up that couldn't' wait until we'd gotten some shuteye, little brother?"

He trailed one idle hand across the desk and deliberately avoided his brothers gaze.

"Where the Fucking Hell have you been Damon?" Stefan demanded angrily without preamble.

"I've been calling your cell off and on for over a year and leaving you God knows how many messages. When you didn't call me back, I started contacting everyone we know." he scowled. "No one I called had seen you, or even had a clue that you'd left town. After six months of hearing nothing, we even had Bonnie do a locator spell, but it fizzled. " he admitted with a glare.

"Fuck Damon, when we couldn't find any trace of you, even I started to think you might be dead, that one of the surviving originals or hybrids had taken you out." he declared, his frustration and anger palpable.

"Why the hell would you leave without even saying goodbye? I thought we were good with each other" Stefan added, his tone heatedly questioning, and unless Damon was imagining it, tinged with no small amount of hurt.

"How could you just leave her like that? leave me here, with only Caroline to help me hold her together?"

He ran both hands through his hair, his frustration and tiredness suddenly plain, as he deliberately caught Damon's eyes.

"She needed you Damon and you weren't here, and I- we couldn't reach you... " he trailed off and looked away before continuing. "It got bad Damon, real bad, I fucking needed you, and you weren't here."

Damon was alarmed, this was not the brother he knew. He seemed tired and desperate, like he was at the end of his rope, and Damon couldn't begin to imagine what had happened to make him this way, unless...

His gut clenched with sudden fear, and before he had time to think about it he was across the room, his brothers arm in his grasp.

"Tell me she's okay Stefan, nothing's happened to her?" he snarled, jerking his brother around to face him. "If you let something happen to her..."

"And if it had?" Stefan hissed, interrupting without letting him finish. "What the fuck do you care, you disappeared Damon. You've been gone for over a year and judging by your present company, you haven't exactly been pining for the woman you professed to love. "

Stefan's mouth twisted into his familiar disapproving sneer.

"What was it big brother, she became a vampire and suddenly you decide that you're not as in love as you thought you were? Or was it, that maybe she'd turned out to be a little too much like Katherine, for you to live the fantasy?"

Ignoring his comments, Damon ground out "Is She Okay?' Regardless of anything, he was determined not to lose his temper, no matter how much he might feel justified.

Glaring at Stefan, he let his brothers arm go and backed away. Deliberately shutting down any signs of the raging emotion that was threatening to boil over, he leaned back on the desk and tried not to let his fear overwhelm him.

_Please God don't let her be dead. Please anything, just don't let her be gone.._

Stefan sighed and seemed to reach for some semblance of calm and Damon felt his anxiety relax, as Stefan's expression gave him the answer he needed.

"She's alive, if that's what you mean." admitted Stefan, his tone curt. "As for okay- No Damon, she is most definitely not okay."

He walked over to the sideboard and poured himself a drink. Gesturing towards Damon in enquiry; he pulled out another glass and poured his brother the same.

"I don't really know where to start" he admitted wearily, while staring pensively into his glass. "She seemed fine that first night, well as fine as we could of expected." he sighed and took a sip of his drink.

"We thought she was in shock at first. Waking up like she did was hard, and going in, I knew that she might have problems because of the way it happened, but after the transition she crashed and when she woke up she said she didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't push."

He caught Damon's gaze with his.

"It wasn't until she realized that you had gone, that she started to crack. And it was weeks before any of us recognized that something was really wrong and that it had started a night or so after you left" he offered reluctantly.

He held up the bottle and Damon let him refill his glass, while they both tried to marshal their thoughts.

"She started sneaking out," Stefan admitted "we would get a call, or sometimes it was just a text, telling us that she was in some town or other; asking for us to come get her, because she had no idea how she had gotten there."

As he continued to explain, Damon watched his mouth tighten with remembered distress.

"If we were lucky there would be only one body to clean up, other times there were two or three. "And it doesn't matter what we try, she always seems to be able to just disappear whenever she needs to. Don't get me wrong," he threw in wearily "it's not like it's every night, or even every other week, sometimes a month goes by without her leaving the house, but in some ways that's nearly worse" Stefan confessed, his expression becoming hard.

"When she is here, it like she's checked out, she just sits upstairs in the room she uses now and does nothing, and I do mean nothing Damon. She won't eat, or talk, or even sleep until she passes out and nothing we try works. She's wasting away before our eyes and she won't even let me comfort her. The only reason she's still alive, is because she feeds during her blackouts, and Damon, she can't or won't tell any of us anything. It's like she's gone- like all that's left is the vampire."

He met Damon's eyes. "I don't know what to do for her' he confessed, his frustration obvious.

"Bonnie has tried every magical resource she knows, but she's found nothing, and she can't get too close to Elena anyway, because Elena does not do well around humans." He snorted. "Hell, that's an understatement, she hasn't seen her brother in well over nine months, because the last time he came over she tried to rip his throat out."

Putting his drink down, he moved over to the windows and pulled one curtain aside to stare out into the early morning light.

"She's like a zombie, Damon. The only time she comes close to being normal, is when we pick her up from one of her little trips, and then it's mostly just crying and saying how sorry she is." Still staring out the window, Stefan seemed to get lost in his memories, as despair leaked into his voice.

"I've failed her Damon, she doesn't want my help and the only thing she's asked about, or seemed interested in over the last year, is you" he admitted, his voice harsh as bitterness overtook his despair.

"She asks if we've heard from you every time she's lucid enough to register her surroundings, and I couldn't even give her that comfort, because we didn't know where the hell you'd gone or why, or for that matter, even if you were still alive." He turned back and stared hard at this brother.

"So why the disappearing act? And how long are you hanging around for?"he asked flatly, his face and body still in a way that Damon recognized only too well.

_Typical _he thought sarcastically. _Somehow, it always ends up being my fault._

Damon stared, his expression carefully blank, as he fought several disparate urges at once. Reminding himself yet again, not to lose his temper, he very carefully took an unneeded breath and had a sip of his bourbon, before answering.

"I left- little brother." he took another sip " because, if you remember, Not to put too fine a point on it, We" he pointedly gestured between himself and his brother "That, being the both of us" he interjected sarcastically "Agreed, that whomever she didn't choose, would leave town, giving the other a chance to get on with their happy Elena filled life." he added flippantly.

"Ergo...You were the one she chose, so I got the hell out of dodge." His gaze hardened with his confession, before dropping away. Reaching for the bottle and refilling his glass, he carefully avoided looking at his brother as he continued.

"I decided a clean break was best for all of us, so I tossed my cell about an hour out of town. It's somewhere at the bottom of the Wickery river, so checking my voicemail- not really an option." he explained dismissively

"Actually, I've only just gotten another one recently and it's a brand new service; again, because of the whole clean break thing.

"As for staying," he shrugged "I can't tell you how long we are going to be here, because It's going to depend on a lot of things, but It won't be any longer than I can help it, that's for sure." he added, watching his drink swirl as he played with the glass.

"If I had my way, I wouldn't have come back to Mystic Falls at all." Damon admitted, his hidden expression flickering with pain, before renewed resolve hardened it.

Turning back to face his brother, he schooled his features, his expression carefully neutral, so as not to give away the anger that was, even as he spoke, begging for release.

"Faith and I have some business here in Mystic Falls, but as soon as that's cleared up, we'll be right out of your hair again. As for Elena" he added, deciding to address the elephant in the room.

"She made her choices pretty clear to me over a year ago." he threw back the last of the bourbon in his glass, before continuing.

"I'll speak to her, if you think it will help, but I'll be doing it for you- not her" he declared "I already wasted a hundred and forty five years chasing after one woman with her face, I have no intention of doing it again." he stated, his bitterness surfacing, as he raised his eyes.

"And just to be clear, baby brother..." His gaze was hard and his eyes were cold, as he met Stefan's.

"If Elena, by some miracle, Had chosen me instead of you, it wouldn't have mattered what she was, or wasn't. You fucking know that if it wasn't for our agreement, I would have been here for her, regardless of the circumstances" he stated scathingly. "If anything, out of the two of us, It wouldn't have been me that had a problem with her being a vampire, so don't you ever think of saying something so stupidly asinine to me again, or I Will happily stake you." he hissed

Carefully setting his empty glass down on the desk, he strode towards the door.

"Now, I'm going up to get some sleep. Faith and I will fill you in on what's happening, when we come down again, and you can see If Elena is in the mood for visitors, and If so, I'll head up to see her. But in the mean time, I'm- no pun intended, dead on my feet and I need blood, so anything else can be shelved until I've had both, okay?" Holding the edge of the partially open door with his hand, he waited for Stefan's response.

Stefan looked troubled at his words, but only nodded grimly .

Damon swung the door open the rest of the way, determined to get upstairs and away from his brother so he could think, he was nearly out the door, when his brothers voice made him pause.

"I'm glad you're back Damon. Welcome Home." the other offered, his tone and expression hesitant.

Damon stilled, before once again raising his gaze to his brothers.

"Thanks for the thought Steff" he drawled out, suddenly tired of the whole thing.

"But this isn't my home anymore, it hasn't been my home for a long time" he tossed over his shoulder, as he turned.

"later Bro." he threw mockingly.

He held out his hand as Faith got up from the sofa. Clasping her hand tightly in his, he headed towards the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Damon, contrary to his intentions and his earlier word_s_ to his brother, hadn't immediately crashed like he'd expected to.

Restive, he'd shown Faith up to his room and lingered only long enough to show her where everything was. He then headed back out to the car for their bags, knowing that both he and Faith would be wanting a shower and a change of clothes, before they dealt with his brother and his friends. Dropping them at the base of the stairs, with the intention of grabbing a bottle of something to take up with him, he'd abruptly decided, that getting something to eat was probably a better plan and had headed to the basement for a couple of blood bags.

Ten minutes later, no longer hungry and oddly wide awake, he found he was still unwilling to go back up stairs and field the questions Faith undoubtedly had, so he headed back to the great room and was in the process of pouring himself a stiff drink, when Caroline arrived.

He sighed internally and braced himself.

"Vampire Barbie! long time no see, how's dog boy?" he asked, with a crooked grin, glass held up in salute.

"Damon." she acknowledged, her tone less than friendly.

"Stefan said you were back and that you'd brought some skank with you." She moved towards him, her expression and tone contemptuous.

"So... I don't know if he mentioned it- but if you wanna keep your little blood bag alive, I suggest you get her out of here. Elena doesn't play nice with humans, and I'd hate to have to clean skank out of the carpet, if she decides to help herself" she drawled nastily, while flopping carelessly down on the nearest sofa.

"So, where have you been?" She asked.

Her tone was dismissive, but her eyes glittered like shards of blue ice; her harsh words only underlining the fact, that Caroline Forbes, was not at all happy with him.

"Aww Care" he drawled provocatively, deliberately using Elena's pet name for the other girl. His tone was sweet enough to induce diabetic shock, as he gave her his best flirty look.

"It's so nice of you to care, sweetheart, but Faith is more than capable of taking care of herself, and FYI," he added, doing his flirty eye thing. "I wouldn't go calling her a skank to her face, if I were you. She might not get your brand of funny the way I do." He smirked.

Caroline's mouth tightened at his words and her gaze narrowed, her eyes drifting towards the stairs and back to him, as she thought about what he'd said. They widened, as she came to the obvious conclusion that the girl upstairs, was obviously not one of Damon's usual disposable bimbo's.

"Aww how sweet," she drawled coyly. "So-Damon's new girlfriend's a vamp." she mused, jumping to an even more obvious conclusion.

"Get yourself another Rose, did we Damon? Someone to help fill the lonely night's, while you were pining away for Elena." She was all sarcasm and bitchy sympathy, as she batted her eyes at him.

"Oh...but then, wait a second!" she inserted smoothly, snapping her fingers. "You don't seem like you were pining all that much-what with the whole leaving town and not giving a shit! So, I guess you're over that phase now" she offered flippantly. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she shot him a dark look.

"So what's the plan, Damon?" she inquired "just come back to see how Elena turned out as a vamp? or maybe you thought Stefan hadn't had enough problems in the last year, thought you'd come home and give him a few more. Go on, you can tell me- what's it going to be this time Damon? You're obviously over Elena, so you must have something new up your sleeve to torment Stefan with"

Damon's eyes dropped, his brows drawing into a frown at her words. He wanted to be pissed at her, he should be ready to rip her head off. Unfortunately, the bitter tone in her voice, barely overlaying the hidden fear, made it difficult for him to react like he wanted .

Damon, in truth, was worried, he had never seen Caroline like this. Okay, so yeah, the bitch part was normal, it was the whole desperate part, that was throwing him. The fear in her voice told him that she, like Stefan, was right on the edge, and desperate to be pulled back from it.

He took a quick swallow of his drink and decided to do something he seldom ever did... be honest. But first, he wanted some answers.

Seating himself at the other end of the couch, in his usual indolent slouch, he took an even larger swig of his bourbon, before turning and capturing her gaze.

"Okay Barbie, you've made your point, now would you mind telling me just what the fuck is going on with everyone? He leant forward, before continuing.

"I leave town, a move that you all should have been hugely if not insanely happy about, and yet," he quirked a brow "when I drop back for a visit, both you and Stefan start acting like I abandoned my first born. So again! what the Fucking hell is going on?"he demanded, pinning her to her seat with his gaze.

His stare was intense, but not unkind, as he waited patiently to see if she if she was actually going to ditch the snarky attitude and respond to his more than blunt questioning.

Caroline's expression was telling. Her eyes immediately flickered away from his, and this time, he had a feeling the furtive and briefly worried look she threw towards the stairs, had little to do with Faith.

When her eyes came back to his, he was disturbed to see the glint of barely suppressed tears overtaking the anger. And when she finally spoke, her tone was very different, the words echoing Stefan's earlier sentiments.

"Where were you Damon?" she questioned, blinking back tears.

"Stefan said you didn't tell him much, but I really wanna know what was so important, that it had you leave town in such a hurry, especially, when you had to know what Elena was facing. Why would you do that to her Damon?"

Her whole expression was one of bewilderment; examining his face like she'd never seen him before, she shook her head slowly in denial, even as she continued.

"She needed all of us to be here for her Damon, not just Stefan and me. I thought you'd be the last person to just take off like you did." She admitted reluctantly, as she stood and started to pace the floor in front of him.

Crossing her arms, she clutched her biceps as though trying to ward off an inner chill. Caroline glanced at him before looking away, her agitation clear in every line of her body, if not her words.

"I don't know how much Stefan told you Damon, but there are things that not even Stefan knows, things that Elena said when he wasn't around, other stuff, that I don't know if I should tell you." she confessed haltingly.

"She's been so lost since she transitioned, so detached, that at times I've been sure I was going to wake up and find that she was gone for good."

Her voice hitched, the control she was barely maintaining over her emotions slipping.

"The night she died- After- when Stefan brought her back here-he- he'd gone downstairs, to get her blood and she was still..." she blinked rapidly and swallowed hard, before continuing.

"She was in shock. At least, that's what I figured, and I'm not sure she really knew what she was saying- but she kept asking where you were, why you hadn't come."

Caroline's eye's reluctantly sought his.

"Then afterwards-after she'd- when she woke up, after the-the transition. Stefan was busy downstairs again, talking to Bonnie about a ring and -and Elena, she told me about the phone call- the one just before she-before they went off the bridge."

Releasing her arms, she brought her hands up to push her hair back off her face. "She said-she told me she'd been wrong, that she'd made the wrong choice, that it took her dying, to finally make her realize what she really felt. She kept saying, that she knew that you were gone and that she'd screwed it all up."

Damon felt his heart lurch in his chest. And it took all of his control not to ask her what she thought she was doing, lying to him like this.

He didn't get the chance. She looked away from Damon and closed her eyes before he could give into the temptation.

"She was so strange Damon, I've never seen her like that. It was as if she was reciting something from a book, or a story she'd heard. And her face Damon... "

Caroline's brow furrowed with remembered confusion. "her expression- it was so blank, like nothing mattered anymore." She sighed.

"I tried to get her to tell me what she meant, but she just said that it didn't matter anymore, that it was too late. And that was the last time she held anything like a conversation with me." admitted Caroline, her frustration and misery clear in her voice.

"Stefan came back from seeing Bonnie and Elena just clammed up and refused to talk, to either of us. It was two nights later, that she disappeared for the first time." she divulged sadly.

Damon was concerned at her words, truthfully, not only her words, but his brothers as well. He wasn't all that surprised to hear that Elena had asked for him. Despite her whole, I have to let you go speech on the phone, he knew he'd been a constant in her life for a while by that point, and the one she'd turned to when Stefan was gone. So No, he wasn't surprised that it was him she'd asked for. As for the other thing? The whole, I made the wrong choice.

_Nope _ he thought resolutely_ I'm not even gonna go there._

Better to concentrate on the other things he'd been told. It was the blacking out and the bouts of what sounded like catatonia, that had him, as much as he hated to admit it, alarmed.

As old as he was, he'd seen some pretty extreme ends of the spectrum when it came to after transition behaviour. But aside from Stefan's blackouts, which were intermittent and had started years after transition, he'd never heard of a vampire suffering memory loss during a kill. Not immediately after and most definitely not ongoing, the way both Stefan and Caroline described. The not eating and sleeping, he could have put down to Elena and her usual massive guilt complex, but there was something about it, that didn't ring true for Damon. Elena was neither coward, nor a quitter, and this smacked too much of both.

Caroline's next words, only served to heighten his worry.

"I know Stefan told you about the attacks and how she is in between them, but Stefan wasn't the one to find her that first time." she admitted, her expression guilty.

She turned and made her way back to the sofa, sinking down on it, she bowed her head and appeared to be studying the carpet, as she continued.

"I found her north of here, two towns over, that first time. She was holed up in some flea trap motel and by the time I got there..."

She shuddered visibly.

"Stefan, thinks it was two bodies, that she drained them dry and somehow snapped out of it long enough to contact us. I didn't...I couldn't tell him Damon. "

Raising anguished eyes to his, she swallowed convulsively.

"She killed sixteen people Damon," Caroline confessed, licking her lips nervously.

"I found sixteen bodies, ten men and six women "Drawing in a shuddering breath, she continued to recount the nights events.

"The motel was one of those no tell, cheap by the hour places, and it was a Saturday night, so that should tell you what sort of clientele it catered to. As far as I could tell, the women were all with clients. Then there was the night manager and another guy, probably security, and two truckers. The truck drivers never even got out of their cabs." she admitted, her tone strangely flat as her eyes dropped .

"She'd killed every living thing in sight, Damon, and by the time I got there, she was just sitting in the last victims room, staring off into space. She was drenched in blood, more than I've ever seen- and it was so hard..." her breath hitched "for a minute, I thought I was going to lose control as well.' she confessed, her expression tortured

"God! I've never felt anything like it, I was so fucking hungry, all I wanted to do was feed, until I was as drenched in blood as she was."

Her shoulders started to shake, a harsh sob heralding the tears that finally fell.

When she raised her eyes to his again, Damon took an involuntary step towards her, his alarm heightened, by the veins and the blood filled gaze that she turned on him.

"Christ Damon, I don't want to think about what might have happened, if Stefan had been with me." she shuddered.

"It took everything I had in me, to get it together that night, if he'd been there, I don't think he would have handled all the blood, not so soon after Klaus." She rubbed at her eyes, as if to wipe away both the tears and her physical reaction to the memory.

"God Damon! I still don't know how I got through it, but I did." she declared, a hint of surprise and what he recognised as pride, in her voice.

"I got rid of the bodies and cleaned up what I could, then I phoned Stefan and told him that we were on our way back. I had to tell him something, Damon," She offered pleadingly. "So I told him that she'd killed two guys, but didn't seem to remember much, other than the fact, that she'd killed them. I know, I should have told him the truth, but I couldn't, she was just so lost Damon, and I didn't want him looking at her differently because of something she couldn't even remember." Scrubbing at her face, she drew her hands back through her hair, her expression defiant as she continued.

"I thought about telling someone else, Bonnie maybe or even Jeremy, but they're both human and Bonnie still has some trust issues with vampires."Damon snorted inelegantly at that understatement. Caroline managed a weak grin at his reaction and shrugged before continuing.

"So anyway, I wasn't sure how she might react and I was afraid to tell Jeremy, because he'd probably want to tell Stefan or Bonnie anyway, so I didn't. Jeeze Damon, the one time I really could have handled having you around and you go pull a disappearing act." She laughed hollowly.

"Never thought I'd admit this, but I needed you big time," she rolled her eyes "and I really really don't believe I'm saying this, but I'm just glad you came back, because I don't know what to do for her and I can't keep covering for her. Sooner or later, Stefan is going to find out. So far we've been lucky, none of her other slips have been as big, but I don't know if that's because it was her first kill, or just blind luck that her recent kills have been in more isolated places, ones that don't have so many potential victims." Seeming to run out of words, Caroline's eyes bore in to his expectantly. She was obviously waiting for him to say something, but he wasn't quite sure what he could really say, or if he should say anything at all.

Strangely conflicted, Damon hesitated. On one hand, he was weirdly touched that Caroline seemed to put so much stock in his problem solving skills, and then on the other hand, he found himself more than a little pissed off that, yet again, he was only wanted because they needed those skills.

_Typical really, never would have thought of looking for me, if it wasn't for their little killer vamp problem. Now I'm supposed to just put my life on hold, while I clean up their mess, yet again. When the fuck did I become the good guy?_ he thought quizzically.

"Look Blondy...' he sighed and rubbed at his tired eyes "Like I told Stefan, I'll see Elena if she has no objections, but, and I can't stress this enough, yes I'll help if I can, one because Stefan is my brother and two because your mother doesn't need the headache that a vampire serial killer would give her, but I'm not doing it for Elena." he frowned

"My guard dog days are over Caroline, Elena is not my problem anymore and as soon as this is done I'm out of this town for good. Understood? " he added harshly. "And just so you know... and believe me, it's for your own good, Faith is not someone you want to piss off in any way, so you stay out of her face Missy." She opened her mouth to interject, the expression on her face indignant, but he cut her off with a gesture.

"Ah ah ah, before you say anything," he said wagging his finger at her "Yes, before you ask, I am going to do the full disclosure thing, but I want everybody together so I don't have to repeat myself. As for Faith... I'm serious Caroline so listen up, first up Faith and my relationship with her is not up for discussion so drop any thought you might have of digging, Secondly, and from your point of view, far more importantly, Faith kills vampires for fun, so do not get in her face. She knows the score here, but I'm not about to underestimate your ability to piss off a rock if you put your mind to it, so stay respectful."

Getting up from the couch he turned and smirked down at her.

"And Barbi, the not pissing her off thing... that goes double for me." he tapped her on the nose lightly his expression indulgent as she glared at him.

"Now, I'm going upstairs to grab some sleep. Do me a favor and get all the usual suspects together" he paused thoughtfully "just to be safe we better meet on neutral ground, somewhere where the humans in our little tea party are gonna be safe. And while you're at it, fill your mom in please. I'm probably going to need her help at some stage and I don't particularly relish the thought of being the messenger. Besides which, I'm not taking the blame for you people concealing all this from her. Your moms a smart woman and a friend, not something I have a lot of," he added before continuing " she probably already has suspicions so I don't think keeping her in the dark would be the wisest course of action, especially now, not with the other stuff I have to tell you about."

He pinned her with a look. One that clearly said Don't ask.

"Right, I'm gone. Come wake me when you've organized everything." He waggled his eyebrows flirtatiously.

"You make sure to knock... Loudly "he added. "I could get very grumpy if you don't, and I don't think Faith would appreciate you getting an eyeful either, so make sure you remember."

He grinned at her disgusted look, before sweeping from the room with a tongue in cheek bow and a cocky laugh.

He was safely out of her line of sight before he let his shoulders slump, the tiredness from before washing over him in waves as he headed up to his room and the woman waiting there.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Faithful

Closing the door quietly, Damon turned towards the bed.

Unbuttoning his shirt he studied the woman curled up and deeply asleep atop the undisturbed covers. It looked to him as though she'd fallen asleep waiting for his return and he was touched that she'd cared enough to even attempt staying awake, especially when she had to be even more tired than he was.

He smiled with indulgence, thinking about how young she looked lying there and how pissed she'd be if she knew what he was thinking.

Slipping the shirt from his shoulders he sighed wistfully, thinking that once again his day had not gone as he'd planned. Instead of enjoying his bed, and the woman in it, here he was once again caught up in the drama of Mystic Falls and the people he'd left behind.

He'd been back for all of five minutes and already Elena Gilbert was disrupting his life and his hard won contentment.

What the hell had she been thinking telling Caroline all that bull, about wrong decisions. She'd made it plenty clear to him that it was always going to be Stefan, no matter what feelings she might harbour for him.

Seeing her in the morgue clinging to his brother, that last night, had only underlined the fact.

When he'd burst into the room, desperate to make sure that Meredith hadn't lied, she hadn't even been able to meet his eyes. She'd hidden her face in Stefan's shoulder and had refused to look at him, even when he'd asked if she was okay. Stefan, had been the one to reassure him, telling him that Elena would be coming back to the boarding house, as soon as the paperwork got sorted.

And inevitably; knowing that Stefan had used the paperwork excuse as a delaying tactic, so Elena would have some time to adjust, it was Damon that had chased down Meredith Fell and made sure that there would be no repercussions from her meddling.

After that, he'd gone back to the boarding house for one last trip.

Knowing he had very little time before Stefan and Elena arrived, he'd hastily packed a bag, grabbed some blood for the road and left.

The whole time he'd been doing what needed to be done, all he could think of was her words to him from their last conversation. Her, I never un-fell for him, ringing in his head, the pain, now that everything was over, rolling through him like nothing he'd ever experienced.

Damon, had once believed that losing Katherine was the worst pain he'd ever know, but losing Elena, made the former pale in comparison. His heart had felt like it was breaking into a thousand pieces and he knew if he didn't get as far away from Mystic Falls as he could, this time it might very well kill him.

She had let him go... And he'd known with sudden blinding clarity, that if he wanted to survive, he'd have to do the same.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he toed of his shoes and pulled off his socks before standing and shedding his jeans. Naked, he pulled the covers back and carefully repositioned Faith until she was under them. Pushing his unwanted thoughts away, he focused on the present, determined to leave the past where it belonged.

He noted that Faith had removed her jeans and Damon decided; even though like him, she preferred to sleep in the nude, he'd leave her be. She'd be comfortable enough in her tee-shirt and panties, this one time. He smiled again. She would be quick to change that once she woke up, of that he was sure. As good as it felt to have her naked body pressed up against him, he really didn't need the temptation, he knew both of them needed sleep, more than anything else.

Climbing into bed, he pulled her into his arms and nuzzled into the back of her neck. It was a testament to the trust that had built between them, especially in the relatively short time they had been together, that she didn't wake. Her Slayer senses staying dormant, despite his vampiric nature, instead, she let out a soft contented noise and burrowed deeper under the covers and even closer to him.

His arms tightened around her as he laid a gentle kiss on the back of her neck. Closing his eyes, he breathed in her comforting scent and let his need for sleep claim him.

So Damon slept and sleeping, dreamt of his last night in Mystic Falls. However, this time in his dream, Elena was alone in the morgue when he'd arrived.

In the dream she was awake, her arms reaching for him as soon as he entered the room. Rushing to her side and holding her tightly, he tried to tell her how sorry he was that he wasn't able to stop what had happened, that he'd never forgive himself for not being in town to watch over her like he should have been. Rocking her gently, he told her he understood that she'd chosen Stefan, but he just couldn't help himself, he had to see her one last time. Placing a kiss on her bowed head, he murmured that he loved her, that he would always love her and that he understood.

Suddenly the dream changed, the dim light in the morgue turning sinister, the girl in his arms starting to convulse. It was all Damon could do to hold on to her. Then, just as suddenly as it she had started she stopped, her body becoming boneless and her head lolling against his arm .

Laying her now unconscious body back on the table, Damon franticly checked her for signs of life, but her form was disconcertingly still. Knowing she hadn't been awake long enough to fail at the transition, he was on the verge of panic, when her eyes flew open.

Staring into her eyes he froze. Instead of her normal brown, or even the blood red eyes of a vampire, the gaze that met his was a alarming. Her pupils were wide and dark, but the rest of her eyes was a shifting canvas of red and gold, their motion reminiscent of an open fire. Staring into their strange beauty, he found himself pinned by their alien fierceness. Held motionless by his own shock and her compelling gaze, he barely had time to register the lengthening of her canines, before she was on him.

As she lunged riding him down to the floor, her fangs flashed with the reflected light from the hallway. Pinning him there with a strength that was far superior to his, she snarled, her head rearing back to strike. His stunned eyes locked with her hellish one's, as she rasped out four words.

"The Alpha is coming."

And then, his whole world burned with pain as she struck, those deadly teeth sinking into his throat.

The pain in his throat, catapulting him from his dream; Damon lunged awake with a fear soaked burst of adrenalin. Gasping out un-needed breath, he stared, unseeing, at the woman standing at the end of his bed. Mind still lost in the dream, it took him a moment to realize that the figure was real, not just a leftover figment from his nightmare.

"Elena!" he managed to gasp out, before registering the fact that he wasn't the only one that was awake.

Seconds later, Faith threw herself forward, her slayer senses urging her to strike before being struck. In a blur of speed; that even Damon was hard pressed to follow, Elena sidestepped Faith's attack. Stumbling and off balance, Faith found herself caught by the throat and held suspended, her feet kicking uselessly.

Finally jolted out of his dream fog, Damon, without a second thought, moved to intervene, only to find himself being thrown backwards, landing off balance and startled on the rumpled bed, barely two seconds later.

Blinking back a groan of pain from a probable broken rib, he levered himself into an upright position and took in the scene before attempting anything else.

Elena, Damon noted, still had Faith suspended by the throat, but her attention was all on him. Her eyes, as in the dream, burnt a strange red gold and the fury in them took his breath away.

"Elena Don't" he hissed desperately "What the hell do you think you're doing? Put her down" he ordered, suddenly furious. The familiar blur to his vision, telling him that his vampiric nature had risen to meet her perceived threat.

Perversely, and much to his surprise, his anger instead of rousing her ire even further, seemed to have the opposite effect. His own rage disappeared and his features melted back to their normal attractiveness, as he registered her stricken expression.

Elena blinked once then a second time, her eyes changing back to the rich chocolate brown, that he was so familiar with. Her hand opened convulsively and Faith fell to the floor coughing and gasping, even as she rolled to her feet.

"Damon!" Elena whispered, shaking her head slowly, even as she stepped back.

Her large eyes filled with tears, and her hands came up to cover her mouth as she watched Faith take up a protective stance by Damon's side. Her eyes switched from Faith to him, and Damon felt his heart clench at the pain and hurt in those familiar eyes.

Grabbing a sheet to cover his nakedness, he rose from the bed and moved cautiously towards her.

Faith, seeing his intention tensed, and Damon, without taking his eyes off Elena, motioned with one hand for her to stay back.

"What's this all about Elena? he asked, his voice as calm as he could make it under the circumstance. "I know I've been gone awhile, but I thought we were friends? Why attack my girlfriend? that's not like you" he offered, his manner and tone gentle, as he tried to soothe the girl.

His words, seemed to trigger the tears that up until then had only been a threat. They overflowed, as her face twisted into an expression Damon couldn't ever remember seeing before and had no way to interpret.

"Damon" she sobbed out. Reaching for him with one out stretched hand, she took a step towards him, only to halt as Faith shifted into her line of vision.

Gasping, she seemed to freeze for a moment, before shaking her head in vehement denial, her eyes flitting from Faith and back to him. Then with a last sob and a burst of vampiric speed, she turned and fled the room as silently as she'd come.

"What the Fuck!" exclaimed Faith, whirling to face him.

"What the hell was that all about, Damon?" she demanded irately.

"I thought you said she was your brothers girl. That there, Damon, is not a chick that thinks of you as a potential brother in-law."

She frowned, her mouth twisted in anger.

"And what's up with the fiery eyes thing while we're at it? Coz there aint no way she's your garden type regular vamp" she grated, rubbing her throat.

"Goddamn it Damon, just how many types of vamp are there anyway? And why the fuck didn't you tell me about her?" she demanded, her eyes meeting his challengingly.

Dropping her gaze to look for his discarded jeans, Damon just shook his head.

"I have no fucking clue about any of this, and even less clue about the eye thing" he shot back, his obvious confusion and surprise doing more to calm Faith down, than his words ever could.

Pulling his jeans up and fastening them, he reached for his shirt.

"But I sure as hell intend to find out" he spat "As for the whole Stefan and Elena thing" he shrugged helplessly. "I told you what happened between us. As far as I'm concerned, she's Stefan's problem. I'm here to help with the councils prophesy and then I'm gone. Fucking town" he muttered, thrusting his arms into his shirt.

Turning to face her, he reached out and placed both hands on her tense shoulders.

"Faith, I'm asking you to trust me" he caught her eye "I'm gonna go find her and have this out, but you have to either stay here, or go down stairs. I need to talk to her privately, and having a slayer with me would only cause more problems."

He drew her in to his arms and caressed her forehead with his mouth. "You know I care about you Faith, and I trust you more than anyone I've ever been with, but this is something I have to do by myself. I don't know what's gotten into her, but I've got a feeling that the only way I'm going to find out, is alone."

He sighed heavily as she tensed. "Look, according to what Stefan and Caroline said earlier, this is the most responsive she's been in nearly a year, so I need to find her before it changes, or she pulls a disappearing act." he offered, trying to explain.

Seeing her decision to trust him overtake her suspicion, he gave her one of his rare and genuine smiles, before kissing her lightly and stroking her cheek.

"I'll fill you in later... I promise" he offered. Meeting her brief frown of worry as he looked up from buttoning his shirt, he reached for her hand.

"Promise I'll be back soon... Stay safe babe."

Giving her another light kiss, he let her hand go and quickly exited the room before she could ask any of the questions he could see hovering on her lips.

Grimacing, Faith sank back on the bed. As the door closed behind him, she couldn't help thinking that her stay in Mystic Falls had just gotten a whole lot more personal.

Because, whether Damon knew it or not, Elena Gilbert; no matter what she might have said in the past, was very much, Not, his brothers girl.

And Faith was very much afraid of what that might mean for herself and Damon .

As close as they had become in their short time together, she had no idea how he was going to react when he finally realized, that Elena Gilbert was in love with him.


	6. Chapter 6

**_C'mon people, I'm leaning heavily towards Delena, but it could swing back in favor of Daith (Famon?)._**

**_What's it gonna be? Hot and steamy Daith or passionate and frenzied Delena? Or maybe... both?_**

**_It's up to you gentle readers... So review review review._**

As soon as Damon hit the hallway, he stilled for a moment to catch his figurative breath and calm his senses.

Standing motionless in a half buttoned shirt and bare feet, he opened those senses and sought for her scent. As he'd half expected, her trail led back up stairs, towards Stefan's room.

Reaching the hallway that led to his brothers room, he was still surprised; despite Stefan's earlier words, when her scent; instead of leading to his brothers door, led to the only other bedroom on that floor.

Pushing the door open without knocking, he strode into the dimly lit room.

Elena was sitting pressed up against the head of the bed, her face buried in the shelter of the arms clasped around her knees. At Damon's entry, her head rose and her tear filled eyes met his.

"Hello Elena." Damon offered, moving cautiously towards the bed.

He studied the wide eyed girl, trying to gauge her mood; before engaging in any further conversation that could potentially cause a repeat of her earlier meltdown.

She seemed calmer than she had been, but he knew how subject to change a vampire's mood swings could be, so he was careful to move slowly and to keep his tone neutral as he moved closer.

The memory of his dream and the state of her eyes, both in and out of said dream, flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed the idea of asking her about it.

Something was telling him; there was a lot more going on here than a bad turning.

He decided to see if she'd bring it up herself, rather than ask her about it. He had the strangest hunch that talking to her about her eyes, would not help the situation. Something in her manner and the fragility of her expression, left him with the sneaking suspicion, that she was very much unaware of the startling differences that he and Faith had witnessed . And if that hunch was true? Well, he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

"So, are you planning on telling me what that was all about, or were you just going to hide out up here for the rest of the day and hope that I'd just ignore the whole invasion of privacy thing?" he drawled teasingly, brow quirked enquiringly.

Elena shivered visibly, her arms tightening around her legs.

"I-I thought..."She stopped, seeming to be lost for words.

The white knuckled grip on her knees and rapid blinking, told Damon that she was barely holding it together. Her alleged state of catatonia seemingly absent, overwhelmed by the emotions that his presence stirred.

Damon waited. He knew shock when he saw it and at this moment Elena could have been the poster child for it. He realized, if he wanted to get anything out of her, he'd have to let her get past it without his help.

He watched as she swallowed hard and visibly tried to relax. When she eventually started to speak, her words were halting, but she seemed to holding it together, for the moment at least.

"I thought you were dead. I- that is-Stefan- he-he told me that they couldn't find you-that Bonnie couldn't find you. You just disappeared-and-I-I thought I'd never see you again."

As he studied her face she flinched, her hands coming up to cover her eyes.

"Oh God! don't look at me." she pleaded "You don't know what I've become-I- I'm a monster and I..." she trailed off, seemingly lost as her hands dropped away, only to meet his gaze with obvious reluctance.

"I'm- I-I was glad, glad that you weren't here to see me do the stuff I've done. But God, Damon, I-I've missed you so much. More than I thought possible" she confessed quietly, her voice hitching with emotion.

"Why did you leave Damon, w-was it because of m-my becoming a vampire? Did you stop loving me, be- because I'm like Katherine now?" she choked out, her hands moved restlessly, as though she didn't quite know what to do with them .

Her face as she spoke, was a mask of confusion and pain, and the raw hurt in her voice, had him clenching his own fists hard enough for his nails to draw blood .

In truth, he was taken aback that she had even mentioned his feelings.

In the past, it had always been the elephant in the room, only spoken about in times when there was no way for her to avoid it.

But as usual, when it came to Elena's distress, Damon could no sooner help himself than he could grow wings and fly to the moon. The moment he'd seen the expression on her face, he'd felt all his carefully erected defenses start to crumble.

His own hurt and anger fleeing, he moved to her side and took her in his arms; his first impulse as always, to comfort her.

"Shh. silly silly girl, that's just stupid talk." he stated reproachfully "I didn't leave for any of those reasons." he confessed, not sure what else to say.

"I'll always lo-care about you Elena." he winced internally, hoping that she'd missed his near slip. "I-I just had to go. It- was time." He admitted, none too steadily.

Stroking her hair tenderly, he used his free hand to tilt her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

His demeanour was uncharacteristically sober, as he tried to avoid disclosing his and Stefan's agreement.

"I left because there was nothing here for me anymore," he added solemnly.

Closing his eyes briefly to hide the pain behind his words, Damon opened them seconds later. Determined not to let her see, just how much he'd been effected by his own words, he tried to inject his usual amount of levity into the now one sided conversation.

"Klaus was dead and Stefan was back to his normal boring bunny eating self, neither of you needed me hanging around muddying up the waters."

He looked away for a moment, as he tried yet again, to tamp down the emotions that his careful mix of truth and lie's had stirred.

The last thing Elena needed, was him dropping all his emotional baggage on her. Besides which, nothing had changed, it was still Stefan. It would always be Stefan.

"So" he continued his resolve firming with his last thought.

"I thought it was best, to just go. I knew Stefan would look after you, and I figured, once you realized that you were still Elena, you'd be fine with the whole vampire thing... You're so strong Elena, I never would have gone, if I'd thought differently. " Meeting her eyes again, he smiled somewhat wistfully.

"Besides, I figured you and Stefan could finally get on with your epic love story, without me hanging around, and hey... super strength and speed, it's not like you were gonna need either of us to baby sit you anymore, especially with Klaus out of the picture."

He smirked, his words if not the tone deliberately teasing, but the smirk was quick to fade, as he took in the distressed look that his deliberate lightness had failed to dispel.

"I truly thought you would be fine." he added contritely, his expression once again serious

"And Elena..." he continued sternly, remembering the look in her eyes right before she'd covered her face "I don't care what you've done... You could never be a monster...not in my eyes."

"Now, how about you tell me what's been going on" he requested, his demeanor turning deliberately practical, as he endeavored to get back some emotional, if not physical distance.

"Stefan and vampire Barbie have filled me in on some of what's been happening while I've been gone, but I think I better hear it from your perspective. After all, those two aren't exactly unbiased when it comes to you." he added with a roll of his eyes.

"Ah, ah ah" he said cutting her off when she looked like she was going to protest.

"This is Damon your talking to," he reminded her chidingly

"I'm the big bad monster, and nothing you tell me is going to change the way I think of you. There is nothing, and I do mean Nothing," he declared, emphasising the nothing with his hardest most determined stare, "that you could do or have ever done, that would shock me in the least. I've probably done worse a thousand times over, so no sugar coating...Okay" he demanded firmly.

Leaning back slightly, he studied the turmoil on her face; waiting patiently for her to tell him in her own words what he wanted to know.

In a transparent attempt at avoidance, Elena dropped his gaze and focused on her hands.

Hands, clamped so tightly on his arm, that he knew, if not for his preternatural healing, would have left bruises that lasted days.

When she eventually managed to gather herself together and speak, Damon stilled, knowing that half the battle would be won by her getting everything off her chest, and that letting her take her time was the best and only way to do it.

By the time Elena finished giving him a blow by blow account of what little she remembered, Damon had decided, that no matter what was going on and despite his understandable reluctance, this was something that he definitely had to speak to Faith about.

Because when it came down to it; Faith, though not as long lived as he, had a far more eclectic and ranged experience of the supernatural world. With Elena's experiences and after his own strangely prophetic dream from earlier, he was starting to believe there was more going on here, than any of them knew.

The details that she had given, though sketchy at best, were far too off the map for any run of the mill vamp, never mind a newly turned one, that in life had been nothing but kind and caring.

Remembering how even someone as monstrous, as he considered himself to be, had been subject to her compassion and understanding, more times than he deserved, only made him surer that something was wrong with this whole scenario.

And Damon; despite his sometimes flippant and cynical attitude, wasn't a total idiot. He'd survived nearly one hundred and seventy years; more than long enough to know that what you were as a human, informed what you became as a vamp. So horrific details aside, the things that Elena told him just didn't make any sense.

For one, according to her, the details of the actual killings were a blank. It was just as Stefan and Caroline had said, the aftermath was her only clear recollection.

Secondly, the violence of the kill's, according to Caroline and confirmed by Elena herself, were ripper level, if not worse, and Damon couldn't bring himself to believe any normal vampire could engage in that much carnage, not without having some sort of memory of the incidents. Even Stefan at his worst, remembered fragments of his killing sprees.

Sure, Elena might have blocked out details of the more traumatic kills, but there was no way he was going to believe, that that level of slaughter, could be blanked out completely, it just wasn't possible.

She should at the very least, be having disturbing if not horrific nightmares. But according to her, she slept very little and when she did, her sleep was mostly dreamless. She said what few dreams she did have were about normal everyday things, though he had to wonder if she wasn't hiding something, as she blushed and refused to meet his eyes.

Other than that, she'd told him that the one or two nightmare's she had had in the last year, were all about the people she'd lost because of Klaus and his attendant insanity.

All of which; added to her strange and unexpected appearance in his bedroom, left him feeling like there was something very rotten in the state of Denmark.

And that, was without even taking his own dream into account.

Then last, but not most definitely not least, was the fact that Faith had seen the strange thing with her eyes as well. Something, that Damon still had no credible explanation for.

Elena's words, in his dreams and moments later in his bedroom, were troubling, both of them for different reasons. And though he himself had used dreams to invade a person's mind in the past, he couldn't help feeling that this dream felt more like a warning, than a threat.

Lost deep in rumination, he was jolted from his thoughts, by her abrupt attempt to leave his arms.

The whole time she'd been talking, she'd seemed content to lie passive in his embrace, and he, sensing her need for contact, had held her and tried to ignore how right it felt to have her there.

But as she attempted to break his loose hold, his attention became once again focused solely on her.

Tightening his grip instinctively he tried to capture her gaze, but she refused to meet his eyes, even as she managed to pull away from him.

Damon frowned as he watched her move towards the window, her obvious agitation tugging at his own need to pull her back into his arms and reassure her. While conversely, the voice in the back of his mind was again reminding him; that this was the girl who'd rejected him and who'd ultimately chosen his brother.

He had promised himself; the moment he knew that he was heading back to Mystic Falls, that he was not going to involve himself in Elena Gilberts life anymore, and yet here he was. Less than a day had gone by and he was back to wanting to protect her at any cost. Determined to save her, like always.

And it killed him, that even now, instead of being disgusted by his own weakness , he found himself more distressed over the reality behind her current actions.

Even with everything that had gone on over the last year and her avowal of missing him, she was still blatantly uncomfortable being held and comforted by him. And that hurt him more than he would ever admit.

Her and her fucking damned inherent honesty, even now it wouldn't allow her one more moment of taking those things from someone she didn't love, someone other than his brother.

Snarling internally, he fought the urge to grab her and shake her until her teeth rattled.

Controlling his emotions around Elena had always been a challenge for Damon and this time was no exception. He felt a year's worth of bitter anger well up inside him, and it took every ounce of control that he possessed not to lose it and do something he'd regret later.

Here he was again, being rejected by the woman he'd loved enough to die for.

He should just leave, take Faith and go stay in a hotel until their business was sorted. Get as far away from Elena and her problems as he could.

After all, what did he owe her?

Nothing, is what he owed. He was done sticking his neck out for a girl that couldn't even stand being in his company a moment longer than was necessary. She might have missed his presence and his help, but she sure as hell hadn't missed him, not if she couldn't stand his touching her; even if it was only in comfort.

As his thoughts whirled in his head, Damon deliberately schooled his expression into one of polite blankness, determined not to let her see how much her rejection still had the ability to wound him.

Eyes icy and calculating, he squashed any feelings of pity. Watching her wipe away her tears as she turned back to face him, he decided then and there, that he was done. This was the last time he was going to allow himself to feel anything for her. Like he's said earlier, she was Stefan's problem and as Stefan's only family he'd help, but he was determined that it would be the only reason.

Lost in his anger, it took him a moment to register that she had just spoken to him.

"Sorry?" he offered blankly, sure he couldn't have heard her properly.

"I-I asked you if that girl you brought with you... well you said, she... that she's your girlfriend... and I was...that is...I-I wanted to know... D-do you love her?" she managed to ask, her eyes seeming enormous in her pale face.

Her expression was strained, but those eyes when they met his, swam with emotions he couldn't begin to decipher.

"Is she the reason... is she... wh- why you stayed away?

"She swallowed hard, her eyes dropping from his.

"Does she make you happy... I-I mean she must coz I've never heard you call anyone that before... Girlfriend that is... Um... I... That is ...sh-she's very beautiful" she blurted, before whirling back to face the window.

Damon unashamedly gaped, the unmistakable sound of a partially stifled sob breaking from the girl who's back was now facing him.

Then his brain kicked in and his eyes narrowed in calculation.

Why in the hell was she asking him personal questions and acting like she cared . More to the point, why the fuck ask if he loved Faith?

Even when they were sometime friends, she'd never given a damn about the girls he bedded. The closest she'd ever come to reacting, was with that bitch Barbyklaus, and he knew that was more about his sleeping with the enemy, than any real jealousy.

Gritting his teeth, he stared at her back. Trying to puzzle out some meaning behind her strange actions, Damon found himself at a complete loss for words. Flailing for something to say, he shifted uncomfortably, before realizing that she apparently hadn't finished whatever it was that she'd been trying to say.

"I'm sorry about that Damon, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable" she apologized, her speech still hesitant but less disjointed than before.

"I know you're together, I should never have broken down like that... It was wrong of me to expect you t-to" her breath hitched and another sob broke loose. "I'm s-sorry" she apologized again, her voice becoming strained.

"I know I don't have the right to ask anything from you. And it was stupid of me t-to think that just coz you came back..." she stopped, apparently rethinking whatever she'd been about to say. Her shoulders stiffened in what Damon recognized as an attempt to gain control.

Turning to face him, he saw her lips press into a thin line, as though trying to suppress some strong emotion.

"That is" she continued, her mouth curving into a tentative smile that didn't reach her eyes" I just thought you should know, that I'm glad you're back and I'm happy that you found someone. I'm pleased for you Damon, you're a good man and you deserve to be happy" she finished. Her tone of voice was sincere, but like her smile, it didn't convince him.

As he stared back at her in bemusement, her smile faded and her eyes darted away from his down to her clenched hands.

His eyebrows drew together at both her words and actions.

What the hell was up with her. One minute she was distraught, next she was acting like Stepford Elena, he just couldn't figure her out. The whole thing was doing a number on his head; he really didn't know what to make out of her bizarre speech.

Moving towards her, Damon's head dipped in an attempt to catch her eye.

She continued to avoid looking at him, and his attention was drawn back to her now trembling bottom lip, and the lone tear that trailed down her cheek.

He was an arm span away when she turned her back to him once again. Her body shook, with what he quickly came to realize were sobs that she tried hard, but ultimately failed to suppress.

Coming up behind her, he placed both hands on her shoulders and turned her body to face his.

Anger; now tightly under control, his hands rested loosely on her upper arms as he tilted his head and crouched low enough to peer into her face.

When she continued to avoid his eyes, he grasped her chin firmly and turned her face to his.

"Elena look at me" he demanded, his frustration mounting as she closed her eyes. Fingers tightening on her chin, he growled when her eyes scrunched tighter and her whole body started to tremble.

Releasing her chin, Damon frowned as her body only seemed to shake harder as he stepped away. Seconds later, he jerked in surprise as she lost whatever internal battle she'd been fighting, her stifled misery finally bursting forth in a torrent of tears.

She seemed to fold in upon herself and it was all he could do to catch her before she slid to the floor.

"Elena...Elena. What's wrong? he asked, alarmed at her sudden loss of control.

Gathering her in to his body, he was startled when she suddenly came to life in his arms.

But, instead of pushing him away like he expected, her arms came up around his neck and she clung to him with fierce strength; as though he would disappear, if she didn't hold on tight enough.

Her body molded to his and he could feel every quivering inch of her as she raised her head to finally meet his eyes.

He had only a moment to register the wild look in her eyes, then her mouth was on his and she was kissing him like he was water in the desert.


	7. Chapter7

_**Okay... I'm really nervous about this chapter, review and tell me whether you thought it was a credible explanation and as always...**_

_**Who do you want Damon to end up with? Elena or Faith?**_

Chapter Seven

Faithless

Any thought he'd had in his head vanished, as Elena's mouth met his. The aching hunger in her kiss; lighting up his body and senses with a need that he'd fought, practically from the first moment he'd laid eyes on her.

Faith, Stefan; everything that had happened before this moment ceased to exist, as Damon literally lost himself in her.

His tongue tangled with hers; their mouths moving against each other in a frenzy of need. Their kiss was neither elegant or skilled. Raw and scorching, it burned with a clumsy sort of desperation, as though neither of them could take in enough of the other, as though each was the oxygen that the other needed.

Hands clutched with need, only to relax into languorous caresses a moment later, then in the next moment grasping again as though desperately clutching a lifeline.

Hunger roared through Damon.

Hunger for her body, her blood. His want of her; that need, that had been denied for so long, was all that he knew, all that he had ever known. He died and lived with her kiss and didn't care; all that he wanted in the world was in his arms, and in that moment nothing else existed.

She was moaning now and making little noises of need deep in the back of her throat, and Damon had to get closer, he needed to be part of her, inside of her. As if what he felt was beyond mere desire, it was as though his existence had been a bleak famine and she was the banquette that could finally fill him.

Ironically, It was her fangs scraping across his throat, that finally pulled him back towards some semblance of sanity and control.

The startling reminder of what she had become; jolting him back to reality.

Suddenly, he was reminded that this Elena was not the Elena he'd left behind, and nothing underlined that fact more, than the way she was kissing him.

_What are we doing?... She chose Stefan, she said she had to let me go._

It was that thought that gave him the last bit of clarity that he needed.

Wrenching his mouth from hers with a gasp, he used his vampire speed to put the bed between them.

When she seemed to be about to follow, he lifted his hand in a warding gesture. "Stop... just stay there...Just let me think." he gasped out.

"Don't move" he ordered harshly, knowing that if she touched him again, he might not be able to resist a second time.

She froze and he tensed, poised to flee if she moved towards him again.

Even from across the room, he could see her pupils were dilated with passion, her unneeded breaths short and fast.

_Fuck! what the hell just happened? She kissed me... Elena, my brothers girl, just kissed me like I've never been kissed before. What the fuck is going on?_

Still holding his hand up as if to physically stop her, he shook his head in seeming denial.

"What the fuck was that Elena? what are you doing?" he snarled, his expression tortured. "Why?..." he hissed out through gritted teeth.

"Why would you kiss me like that. Are you trying to fuck with my head, or what? I just don't get it" he spat, a mixture of bewilderment and anger making his voice harsh.

"What the hell are you playing at?"he demanded.

Pinning her with his furious gaze, he finally dropped his hand, only to run both through his hair a moment later in a gesture of frustration.

"God woman, you fucking drive me crazy; you know that. For once in your life, you are going to tell me the damn truth. Start talking Elena" he ordered staring at her; his eyes hard "Because that stuff you said; your little speech from before... sure as fuck doesn't explain what just happened. Why Elena, what the fucking hell did you think you were doing ?" he rasped, his throat tightening with emotions he couldn't begin to sort out.

Crossing his arms defensively, he glared at her and waited.

Elena met his glare, her eyes anguished as she moved again as if to approach him. When he instinctively backed up a step, she turned and sank down on the edge of the bed with a groan; her head bowed as she visibly tried to regain control.

Seconds later, when she did start to speak, Damon found himself speechless for the second time that day.

Pulling her legs up on the bed she twisted around until she was facing him. Then tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she ducked her head as though embarrassed. Barely a moment passed before she raised it again and her eyes sought his. The look she shot him was guarded, but her voice when it came held more confusion than anything else.

"I remember Damon... I remember meeting you first... I remember you compelling me... both time's. And those memories... They changed everything, Damon. "

Her expression became intense, as he tried and failed to gather some sort of response to her confession, but before he even had a chance to try finding the words, her lips tightened and she continued.

"The night it happened... the night I died, It all came back to me," she confessed, her expression strangely defiant, "It was like I could see clearly for the first time ever. All the feelings that I'd had for Stefan. " she paused. "I realised they were never about him."

Damon made a disbelieving sound in his throat.

"Don't" she shot "just let me finish before you say anything else" she ordered, her voice suddenly hoarse with emotion.

"When those memories came back that night, I put it all together. All the things... the feelings that hadn't made sense to me, because I didn't have those memories to put into context."

She paused again for a moment her brow furrowed in thought.

"Actually, it was something Jeremy said to me ages ago that brought it all together." She admitted thoughtfully, her forehead smoothing out.

"He told me, that when you compelled him to forget about Vickie and all the horrible stuff surrounding her death, it took the memories away but not the emotions behind them. He said that for months afterwards, he couldn't understand why; despite everything seeming normal, why he kept having these emotions that he had no reason to feel."

Her hands came up to rub at her temples, before pushing her hair back from her face.

"He said, the closest he could get to explaining it was that it felt like someone had given him a post hypnotic suggestion to be miserable all the time, even though he knew there was nothing to be miserable about; that he knew that everything was fine."

She shifted nervously, her voice becoming strained again as she continued.

"The night we met... that first time. Do you remember what you said to me?" she asked.

At his hesitant nod she looked relieved.

"Then you have to understand... those feelings that I thought I felt for Stefan... they were because of the compulsion. Remember, how I told you that I fell for him instantly? Well I did, but at the same time I didn't" she tried to explain, her frustration mounting, as she fought to put what she had realised in to actual words.

Damon just stared at her blankly, a brief look of confusion crossing his features as he attempted to understand. He quirked an eyebrow questioningly.

"Okay, So I'm not following, please explain to me how you can fall for someone, but at the same time not fall for them?" he enquired, his expression openly sceptical, as he tried to make sense of her words.

Elena let out a huff of aggravation and massaged her forehead in a gesture he remembered well.

"Okay I'll try again." she stated, her growing frustration only thinly concealed.

"You told me what I wanted that night and then you told me what you wanted me to get... so when Stefan came along, it was like I'd been given a post hypnotic suggestion, that was triggered by his presence."

She scowled as she took note of the still doubtful expression on his face.

"Think about it Damon." She glared.

" You want a love that consumes you, you want passion and adventure, and even a little danger. Sound familiar?" she enquired dryly, quirking an eyebrow of her own.

"Then straight after, when you compelled me, your exact words were, and I quote: I want you to get everything you are looking for. But right now, I want you to forget this ever happened." she said, parroting his words and tone.

"And I did forget, exactly like you'd ordered me too, but it was like with Jeremy... I forgot the words Damon, but not the intent behind them."

She barked out a short burst of pained laughter.

"Do you have any idea, how it felt for me to realise, that the thing that had stopped me from admitting how I felt about you... was you! That it wasn't Stefan I really loved, that he just happened to fit your description of what you'd told me I wanted." she shook her head in disgust.

"I couldn't understand why I had all those feelings for you, when I was supposed to be in love with your brother. I drove myself nuts trying to convince all of us that I hated you, that I wasn't like Katherine... and the whole time I was wrong."

This time her laugh was no longer, but far more bitter.

"I was attracted to you before I even met your brother, but thanks to your compulsion, I didn't have a choice. The funny thing is that it could have just as easily been you that I fell for, any guy fitting the criteria would have done."

She glared

"God Damon! Do you have any idea what it did to me, when I remembered you bringing my necklace back and telling me you loved me, Especially in light of that first memory." She sighed heavily, seemingly overwhelmed by the weight of her confession.

"That night, the night you returned it, after you left. I remember feeling so upset, like I'd lost something precious, and I couldn't understand why. Then after I got the memory back, it all made a strange sort of sense. My mind kept telling me I loved Stefan, because that's what I believed, thanks to your compulsion, but my heart Damon... My heart knew differently."

Her glare had disappeared, and in its place was an expression of such heart wrenching pain that Damon found himself taking an involuntary step towards her.

Her next words froze him in his tracks.

"It was you Damon... It's always been you. I did fall... but it wasn't for Stefan." she admitted her voice ragged with emotion.

"I might not have loved you at first sight, though I realise now... even back then, it was probably inevitable" she confessed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"But I did fall for you; I fell in love with you, because I saw who you were, the way you changed for me, the way you cared. What I felt for your brother never grew, not like my feelings for you. With Stefan, it was an instant epic love... but it wasn't real. Not the way it is for you."

She bowed her head, her tone subdued as her hands covered her face.

"The moment I woke up after my transition, everything was so clear" she admitted, her expression remaining hidden.

"I realised that I'd chosen the wrong brother, because with the compulsion gone, I didn't want Stefan... I just wanted you." her hands clenched into fists as they came down to rest on her thighs."But by then I knew it was too late, you'd already left town and no one knew where you had gone."

She sniffled, and wiped at her eyes with the back of one of her fists before looking up at him.

"I haven't told anyone except Caroline, and she only knows the last part, but I think Stefan knows that my feelings have changed... I still care about him" she admitted hesitantly.

"But I'm not in love with him and I don't know how to tell him." she confessed.

"How do you tell someone, that everything you thought you felt for them was a lie?" she demanded, her tone pleading. "How do I tell him that none of it was real Damon? that I don't love him, because I'm in love with his brother."

She broke down with her admittance, starting to sob in earnest; tears rolling down her face and her shoulders shaking with the force of her emotions.

Damon, stood stunned into immobility. His mind whirled, as he tried to get his head around the bombshell she'd just dropped on him, but before he could find any semblance of order and attempt to make sense of it all, another voice intruded.

"I think you just did."

Damon's gaze flew from Elena, to the figure of his brother; who up until the moment he'd spoken, had gone unnoticed by either of them.

Standing there, framed in the now open doorway, the expression on Stefan's face was heart wrenching. He looked devastated, the pain in his eyes as they rested on Elena; an emotion that Damon was intimately familiar with. How many times, had he hidden that same expression as he watched her with his brother. And Jesus, to find out like this...

"Stefan..."

"Don't Damon... Just don't" Stefan cut in harshly, his gaze swinging from Elena to Damon.

"I don't want to hear it... especially not from you. You fucking did this to us... to her. You don't get to say anything" he grated out, more furious than Damon could ever remember seeing him.

"I fucking hope your happy now brother, you finally got what you wanted"

And with those words Stefan turned on his heel and left.

Damon and Elena both froze in shock. Neither of them felt able to move, as the enormity of what had just happened washed over them.

Damon hadn't even begun to process Elena's words and now he found himself dealing with his brothers hatred on top of them.

And it was hatred; he'd seen it directed at him more than a few times over the years, but after everything they'd been through trying to keep Elena alive, he'd forgotten what it was to have his brother despise him.

And this time it was worse, because somewhere along the way, he'd forgiven his brother for his sins, both imagined and real. Now his brothers hatred left him feeling hollowed out and guilty, where in the past he would have only felt triumphant at causing him this level of pain.

Elena had stopped crying with Stefan's words, and his sudden departure had left her blank faced and pale. Her eyes kept darting between Damon and the doorway as if she expected Stefan to reappear at any moment. And Damon didn't know what to do with that.

He should go after Stefan, try to talk to him, but what the hell could he say when he didn't understand how they'd even gotten to this point.

Less than an hour ago he'd been curled up with Faith; a woman who he was coming to care deeply for. His expectations consisting of two things; the first, find out about and thwart the prophesy and the second, help his brother find out what was wrong with Elena and fix it. And now he didn't know what to do.

His brother probably wanted to stake him, and his brothers girl; the woman he'd finally been moving on from, had just confessed to loving him. What the fuck did he do with that?

Damon found himself unexpectedly and suddenly furious, he just wasn't sure who to direct it at.

He swore and in a fit of violence turned and punched the wall.

Pulling his bleeding hand free of the plaster, he tried to calm himself before he did anything else he might regret.

Elena had flinched back at his sudden fit of violence,but as soon as she saw the blood coating his hand she froze, her eyes locked on the rapidly healing gash that ran across his knuckles.

His attention switching between her and his nearly healed hand, he frowned; belatedly reminded of her change in dietary preferences by the appearance of the telltale veins signifying hunger in their kind.

Even with everything that had just happened, he didn't fail to note that her eyes stayed normal, and by the time she managed to get herself under control, it hadn't kept him from speculating, that her earlier bizarre change in eye colour must be a symptom of something other than hunger.

Sighing heavily, he shelved his concern, only to find himself struggling to find something to say to dispel the tense silence, that had filled the room since his brothers dramatic departure.

Opening his mouth to speak, he floundered. What the hell could he say; when he didn't even know what he felt, let alone what it all meant.

If Elena was right, then all his misery in this God forsaken town; every bit of pain and jealousy, could be laid directly at his own door. In the ultimate irony of his existence, he would have nobody but himself to blame. More to the point, no matter how ignorant he might have been, it would mean that he had caused all of it without even trying. And that meant Stefan was right to hate him.

Could it be true? was he really the architect of his own and now his brothers pain. Did his unthinking words compel Elena into having feelings that weren't real?

Damon had always assumed; from what other vampires had inferred over the years, that Love was not something you could compel. But If he hadn't caused her to fall in love with his brother, then why; if she was to be believed, had she stopped as soon as the compulsion was lifted.

Was it possible to influence someone to such a degree that they believed themselves in love, or were Elena's changed feelings just a side effect of her turning; another aspect of the strangeness that she had been exhibiting since she'd become a vampire. Perhaps her eyes and her blood-lust weren't the only things that were abnormal. Could her professed change in feelings towards Stefan and himself, be just another symptom of what was wrong with her?

So who did Elena really love. And what the hell was he going to do about it?


End file.
